Custer chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, Black Hills, D.T. [S.D.]) 1880-1890, 1887-09-03
CHAPTER v1II.-TIlE FEAST, AND AFTER!

lhAIlEls NlIl.-IIIE EASI. AND AFTER!
g.: hi / III ]. |. !. i. !. II. !. !. !. Il. ! i. !. / !. . !. !. ]. . !. !. !. !.
|-N N the day follow.
III - M ing this remarka.
~ bic scene, q scene
N@ calculated to make
"a deep impression
~ u 4, upon anybody who
Y s1h@AS r. beheld it, more be-
sNA NME{ IS cau5c Of what il
MNNN~ :~CgGcgtcd. ard
ICCA0I seemed to fore
shadow, than for
what it revealed, it was announced to us
that a feast would be held that evening in
our honor. did my best to get out of it,
saving that we were modest people, and
cared little for feasts, but my remarks be-
ing received with the silence of displeas-
ure, thought it wisest to hold my tongue.
Accordingly, just before sundown, l was
Informed that everything was ready, and,
accompanied by Job, went into the cave,
where / met Leo, who was, as usual, fol-
lowed by tstane, These two had been
out walking somewhere, and knew moth
ing of the projected f~estivity till that mo
ment. When Ustane heard of it | saw an
expression of horror spring up upon her
handsome features, Turnipc, she caught
a man who was passing up the cave by the
arm, and asked him something in an i'm
perious tone. His answer seemed to reas-
sure her q little, for she looked relieved,
though far from satisfied. Next she up
peared TO attempt some remonstrance with
the man, who was a person in authority,
but he spoke angrily to her, and shook her
off, and then changing his mind, led her
by the arm, and sat her down between
himself and another man in the circle
round the fire, and / perceived that for
some reason of her own she thought it
best to submit.
The fire in the cave was an unusually big
one that night, and in a large circle round
il were gathered about thirty-five men and
two women, Ustane and the woman to
avoid whom Job had played the role OF
another Scriptural character. The men
were sitting in perfect silence, as was their
custom, each with his great spear stuck
upright behind him, in a socket cut in the
rock, for that purpose. Only n or two
wore the yelloWish linen garment of which
] have spoken; The rest had nothing on ex-
cept the leopards skin about the middle.
Whats up now, sir?" said Job, doubt
fully. BLESS us and save us, there's that
woman again! Now surely she can't be
after me, seeing that | have given her no
encouragement. They give me the creeps,
the whole lot Of them, and that's a fact.
Why, look, they have asked Mahomed to
dine, too. There, that lady of mine is
talking to him in as nice and civil a way
as possible. Well, Pm glad it isn't tie,
that's all.h
We looked up, and sure enough the
woman in question had risen, Il was es-
corting the wretch Mahomed from the cor
ner, where, overcome by some acute pre-
science of horror, he had been seated, sliiv-
ering. and calling on Allah. He appeared
unwilling enough to come, If for ~ other
reason, perhaps, because it was an unac-
customed honor, for hitherto his food had
been given to him apart, anyway. Icould
see that he was IL q state Of great terror,
for his tottering legs would scarcely sup
port his stout, bulky form, and l think it
was rather owing to the resources of bar
barism behind him, in the shape of q huge
Amahaggcr with a proportionatcly huge
spear, than to the seduction of the lady
who led him by the hand, that he consent
ed to come at all"
"Well," | said to the others, 81 don't at
all like the look Of things, but | suppose
that we must face it out. Have you fell
lows got your reyolvers on? Because, if
SO, you had better see that they are loaded"
Il have, sir" said Job, tapping his Colt,
"but Mr.. Leo has only got his hunting
knife, though that is big enough, surely"
Feeling that it would not do to wait
while the missing weapon was fetched, we
advanced boldly. Il seated ourselves in "a
line, with our backs against the side of the
cave.
AS soon as we were seated, an earthen-
ware jar was passed round containing a
fermented fluid, of by no means unpleas-
ant taste, though apt to turn upon the
stomach, made of crushed g%rain-not Ind
ian-corn, but a small brown grain that
grows upon the stem in clusters, not IN
| like that which in the southern part of At
RIGA is known by the name of Kafr-corn.
The vase in which this liquid was handed
round was very curious, and us it more or
less rcsembled many hundreds of others in
use among the Amahagger, | may as well
describe it. These vases are of a very an
cient manufacture and of all sizes. None
such can nave been made in the country
for hundreds, or rather thousands, of years.
They are found in the rock tombs, of which
1 Slldll give Il dGSCI lpilOh III AiItAi pAbpGL
place, and my own belief is that, after the
fashion Of the Egyptians, with whom the
former inhabitants Of this country may
have had some connection, they were used
to receive the viscera Of the dead. Leo,
however, is Of the opinion that, like the
Etruscan amphorr, they We're merely
placed there for the spiritual use of the
deceased. They are mostly ~tWo-handlcd,
and of all sizes, some being nearly three
fee5 in height, and running from that down
to rs many inches. In shape they vary,
but are all exceedingly beautiful and
graceful, being made of a very .1e black
ware, not lustrous, but slightly rough. On
this groundwork We're inlaid figures much
more graceful and life-like than any others
| have seen on antique vases. Some OF
these iniaid pictures represented love
scenes, with q child-like simplicity and
freedom Of manner which would not com
mend itself to the taste Of the present day.
Others again were pictures of fnaidens
dancing. and others again were hunting
scenes. For instance, the very vase from
which we were now drinking had on one
side a most spirited drawing Of men, APP
parently white in color, attacking Il bull
elephant with spears, while on the reverse
was n picture, not quite so well done, OF a
hunter shooting an arrow at a running an
telope, | should say from the lock OF 1t